Well, we've made it to the last short chapter of this fan fic. Sorry, it's a tad late, but life got in the way. See below for Author's notes. Enjoy!
Against the backdrop of the pink Mewnian sky, the Butterfly Castle largely lay in ruin. The main part above the throne room was blasted into bits of pulverized bricks and furniture that lay in heaps about the courtyard. Also strewn across the ground, several of the spires were tipped over like fallen trees and whole walls were missing. Yet in the wake of the destruction, scaffolds were erected to start building the palace anew, signaling that it was time for the kingdom to do the same in the loss of their great monarch. That was Star's intention for donning on her regal dress from the Prince's Ball and clutching her mother's crown in her gloved hands. Moon was dead, and it was her turn to lead Mewni onward.
Maybe without these stupid gloves, Star scratched at the annoying white cloth on her hands before rolling them off and tossing them on her bed. It was a dawning of a new era for Mewni, and Star was going to be queen her way. What else could she change right now? Looking in the mirror she scowled at the bun, desiring for her locks to run free like a herd of warnicorns. Hmm…where's my brush? Her eyes darted over to her messy nightstand—Marco always told her that she needed to clean it one of these days. It would take an eternity to find her brush in there! Maybe it was time to test out wandless magic since being queen meant she would have to master that.
She closed her eyes, concentrating on what her brush looked like and how it felt like in her hands. Come to me! She balled her hand into a fist, feeling her body shake in the effort it took to channel the magic. What would help? Her mind doubled down on its attempt to focus, trying to conjure an image that would aid her flow of magic.
"Need help, Star?" At the sound of his voice, Star's palms glowed red and her hairbrush dislodged itself from under a pile of weapons and snapped into her now open palm. She smirked, twirling her brush in her fingers while she started freeing her hair from the pins that held it in place. This magical Queen stuff was going to be a breeze. Total piece of cake. She frowned a bit, listening to Marco chuckle a bit through the bond.
Turning around, she saw him lean against the doorway in his dapper prince attire, holding a smaller version of her crown in his hand. Though he was also being crowned too, Marco would remain her Prince Consort until they married—probably six months or so after Star turned sixteen, which was the age for royal engagements. "Lemme give you a hand, my Queen," he made his way to her side, gently taking the brush from her hand. "Rather bold of you approaching the queen without bowing," she shot him a teasing glance as he brushed her hair. For some reason, the grooming activity always made her relax instantly and she rested her back against her chair. Marco had such a cute face.
"Oh please, Star, I'm your husband," he leaned to kiss her cheek before continuing. There was a lot going on in her head about what the coronation meant for him. If Marco thought things were tense when he became a prince, they were about to get much harder. The entire kingdom rested in the hands of two scared fifteen-year-olds and there was no going back after the coronation. Especially for Marco, the first human ruler of Mewni, and she hoped he was truly ready for this.
"Ready for what? Being your king?" he stopped brushing and rested a hand on her shoulder. Star turned around and studied the proud look on his face. He looked so regal, especially with the cheekmarks that had become a permanent feature on his face. In many ways, Marco was a completely different person from the Safe Kid she met on Earth almost two years ago. Instead of the overly cautious boy, before her was a confident young royal, whose eyes blazed with confidence. Then again, the most important thing remained the same: he was her adventure buddy and bestest friend in the universe.
"You made me the guy I am," he flashed her a loving smile that made her blush. "I'd still be stuck in school with Alphonso and Ferguson right now trying to work up the nerve to nod at Jackie." They both laughed at that comment for a moment before letting silence engulf the room. Marco sighed, dropping his eyes for a bit and contemplating a matter in his head that was too jumbled for Star to grapple with when she peeked into their bond.
He took her hand and spoke in the same tone he used the night he swore to stay forever by her side on their last visit to Echo Creek. To think that the dinner discussing the Prince's Ball was only about four months ago. Ah, the simpler days. "I know what you're thinking. You're worried about our future because I'm Mewni's first non-Mewman king, and we're both not even sixteen yet. But I've literally sworn to stay by your side forever at least three times. Believe me, I'm not going anywhere, Star."
"Remember that crap from the dinner in the Underworld or with my family," she shot up out of her chair, her face conveying all the seriously she could muster. "That's just the beginning. And I can do this ruling thing by myself if it means protecting you."
She was about to tear up when Marco wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Star Butterfly." The way he murmured her name sent chills up the queen's spine. "Remember that I told you before we separated to take on Eclipsa and Meteora? That I would follow you like morning follows night? I'm not trying to be your hero here…or even your friend. You said it yourself—that I'm your soulmate, your lover, your lifeline, your king. If watching you date Tom, psycho royals, and death itself can't keep me from you—nothing will."
At that point, she began to softly cry into his shoulder while he patted her back, releasing waves of gratitude and deep love through the bond. She didn't deserve him. "You do, Star," he assured her with a kiss on the forehead. "I don't deserve you. You're the coolest girl I've ever met." She giggled at his response, which mirrored that one time he lured monsters to Earth to make her happy over not getting a call from Oskar.
"Your Royal Highnesses!" the embracing pair jumped when Manfred burst through the door with a fanfare flourish. "Oh…am I interrupting something…"
"Yes, you are, Manfred," Star groaned, letting Marco go. "But fire away—what's up."
The butler bowed before her, "It is time to meet your public, my Queen." The teens shot a tender glance between the two of them and grabbed their hands.
"Ready my Queen?" Marco smiled at her which made feel the warmth of a sunny day. No, she wasn't ready; but with her king by her side, just as he always had been since they first met, Star knew that they could face anything.
"Let's do this."
Author's Notes
Hey guys, first off, thank you SO much for reading and loving this story. This has been a real blast to write and I can't be any prouder of this. The whole inspiration for Sign came from a hyper-realistic dream which became Chapter 1. The rest of the story is more-or-less my predictions for 3b and season 4. So far, quite a few themes have been confirmed in the canon like Star and Marco confessing before Tomar actually ending (Booth Buddies is forever my favorite episode of season 3), Tom becoming a huge bro (minus trying to kill Marco in Ch 2), and Meteora being dealt with in the finale. There's still a lot more show left, and season 4 can't get here fast enough!
In the meantime, I'm not gonna leave y'all hanging. As I have hinted, there is a sequel story The Dance of the Stars, which I should start posting weekly starting within the next couple of weeks and a cool shorter bonus story set in the same universe. Also some various one-shots. Again, thank you so much and I hope you stick around for what's coming next.
-Blackwolf
Sign of the Moon was one heck of a ride to work on, with so much ambition put into this story. Normally, if you read any of my stuff, a lot of my stuff is focused on Starco and has fun adventure elements. But I feel confident in saying my assistance with Sign, is some of my best writing. Between Blackwolf and myself, so much of the cast felt 'right' in comparison to stuff I both wrote and read on Fan-Fiction. One thing I really think should be noted is how 'different' the fandom became after Season 3 released and honestly, it helped shaped how we approached Sign.
It's a story that isn't 'just' a continuation from where Monster Bash left off. But it's not 'just' an AU either. We feel it's a very strong homage and respect-piece for the show itself, showing the creators why we love it in the first place. Work on Sign with Blackwolf also helped me re-evalutate my own writing approaches and how I view Star herself. When you really work with her character, she is so much fun to write. And making her a focus is honestly a bit rare in the fan-fiction scene, simply due, to I think, how hard it is to make her balanced.
Star is either too flawed and you don't like her, or something a bit out of character in a few areas. Sign is one of the very first times I saw her done perfectly and that's all thanks to Blackwolf's powerful vision of Star's character and soul. If Sign should be remembered for anything, it should be for how it has one of the best and most authentic Star Butterfly's in the fan-fiction scene to date, with only a small handful of stories (Monarchs of Mewni) beating or coming close to it.
-RK